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A leading cabinet member says help has arrived “too slowly” as new figures show 44 care home residents in Coventry died from Covid-19 in the past two weeks – the second-highest in the West Midlands.

Data gathered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and published for the first time on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that from April 10-24 care homes reported 4,343 deaths from coronavirus.

In Coventry, nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of all deaths in care homes (44 out of 72) in that period were related to coronavirus.

Only Birmingham (71) has seen a higher figure in the West Midlands.

The community has rallied to help the elderly (Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire)

Cabinet member for adult services at Coventry City Council Cllr Mal Mutton described the figures as “heartbreaking”.

The senior cabinet member also took aim at the government over struggles accessing personal protection equipment (PPE) and testing at Coventry’s care homes.

Only now do care homes in the city have enough PPE, although stock is still “low”, she said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said testing will be expanded to all care home residents and staff in England, including those who do not have symptoms, he told Tuesday’s coronavirus briefing.

But Cllr Mutton said action has arrived “too slowly”.

She said: “The figures for Covid-19 related deaths in care homes in Coventry are of course distressing, in particular for the families and friends of those who have passed away.

“Social care has for too long been the ‘poor relation’ when it comes to funding for the care of vulnerable people, and unfortunately it has taken this awful pandemic to highlight this.

“It beggars belief that the government is only now waking up to the fact that nursing and residential homes were particularly vulnerable when it comes to the spread of this infection.

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“The work carried out in our care homes is by its very nature up close and personal and it is more than challenging to practice social distancing in these settings.

“Care homes have been at the back of the queue when it comes to the supply of PPE as far as central government is concerned, and although we do have stocks now, we still find ourselves desperately low and our commissioning teams are spending hours chasing down supplies.

“Care homes should have been one of the first areas considered by the government when setting out a strategy for beating the virus.

“The same has happened with testing. Only now when the true facts about the number of deaths in care homes are emerging have the government decided to roll out testing to residents and staff in the homes.

“At least they are now going to test all residents and all staff regardless of them showing symptoms or not. They also seemed to have woken up to the fact that not everyone is able to get to the testing centres and are making tests more readily available.”

Cllr Mutton also paid tribute to care home staff, PPE suppliers and partners who have helped take care of the city's most vulnerable.

She said: “The council is working well with all care providers in the city and is in regular contact with them to raise any particular issues that are arising.

“We as a council have been able to help our private providers with some PPE supplies when we can when their own suppliers have been unable to meet their demand.

“Without the dedication of our health care workers, not only of those that are working in our care homes, but also those carers that go into people’s own homes to carry out their caring tasks, the picture would be a lot worse than it is.

“The same can be said for all those voluntary carers in the community who are carrying out the caring tasks day in and day out without any recognition.”